Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2012-13: Will Borgen skated for Moorhead High School in northwest Minnesota as a sophomore. In 30 games he scored 4 goals with 19 assists and 24 penalty minutes. Playing one of the toughest schedules in the state, the Spuds were 11-11-2 in the regular season but swept the Section 8AA tournament, defeating Brainerd, 2-0, in the championship game. Moorhead lost, 1-0, to Duluth East in the state tournament before winning two games in the AA consolation tournament. Borgen had a goal and an assist in the season finale, a 5-2 win over Eastview.

2013-14: Borgen played for Team Great Plains in the Upper Midwest Elite High School Hockey League in the fall before returning to Moorhead for his junior season. He scored 8 goals with 13 assists and 37 penalty minutes in 27 games for the Spuds. Moorhead reached the Section 8AA final, falling 7-4 to Roseau. Borgen scored 4 goals with 4 assists and 10 penalty minutes in 13 games for Team Great Plains. He was selected by the Omaha Lancers in the third round (53rd overall) in the 2014 USHL Entry Draft.

2014-15: Borgen committed to playing college hockey at St. Cloud State University in September 2014 and made his USHL debut with Omaha before returning to Moorhead High School for his senior season; re-joining the Lancers following the high school season. In 18 regular season games for Omaha he scored 1 goal with 5 assists and was -2 with no penalties. He was -3 with no points nor penalties in three USHL playoff games. Borgen scored 3 goals with 16 assists and was -1 with 22 penalty minutes in 24 high school games for Moorhead. The Spuds reached the Section 8AA championship game for the third straight season, falling 2-0 to Bemidji. Borgen was ranked 114th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Buffalo in the fourth round (92nd overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Talent Analysis

Borgen is an athletic, two-way skating defenseman. He is not the biggest player on the ice, but is willing to engage physically and competes every shift. He has proven he can score at the high school level, but lacks dynamic offensive ability to really translate to the pros.

Future

Borgen made the jump directly from high school hockey to college in 2015-16 and was impressive for the bronze medal-winning USA U20 team at the 2016 World Junior Championship. A mobile, puck-moving defenseman, he has fit right in at St. Cloud State as a freshman on a Huskies' team that was one of the top teams in the nation and challenged North Dakota for the top spot in the NCHC. Borgen does not play a particularly hard style. He is a strong skater who uses his speed and hockey instincts to take away passing and shooting opportunities and can generate plays in the transition. He is likely to use all three of the remaining years of his college eligibility but should fit in well with the other young skill players in the Buffalo system.

Photo: St. Cloud State University goaltender Charlie Lindgren will try to lead the Huskies to their second Frozen Four appearance in the past four years as they take on Ferris State to begin the West Regional (courtesy of Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

The West Regional of the 2016 NCAA Hockey Tournament features a pair of lesser-known schools in the early game, and two, more traditional college hockey powers going head-to-head in the second game on Saturday. Read more»

Photo: Boston College defenseman and Florida Panthers prospect Ian McCoshen has improved his offensive production each season, with his 2015-16 output totaling 16 points in 38 games to date (courtesy of Richard T. Gagnon/Getty Images)

In the 2015-16 season, there are 65 NHL-drafted defensemen playing in the NCAA. The 10 defensemen ranked here represent nine NHL teams, with the Boston Bruins having two prospects ranked, the most of any NHL team. The rankings are based on overall developmental progress, season performance, and NHL potential. Unless otherwise noted, all stats are current as of Mar. 21st. Read more»

Photo: Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart promise to one day give the Sabres one of the best one-two punches at centre in recent memory. (Courtesy of Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire)

Much like in the abysmal 2014-15 campaign, the Buffalo Sabres find themselves wallowing near the bottom of the standings in 2015-16. That’s what happens when your team is full of younger players, not yet experienced in playing winning hockey on a nightly basis. Read more»

Photo: Team USA’s second line of Sonny Milano (L), Anders Bjork (C), and Christian Dvorak (R) provided important secondary scoring for the U.S. at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship (courtesy of RONI REKOMAA/AFP/Getty Images)

For the first time since 2013, Team USA left the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC) with a medal, taking home the bronze medal with a dominating 8-3 rout of Sweden on the last day of tournament. Earlier in the tournament on Dec. 28th, the U.S. had lost to Sweden 1-0 in preliminary round play. Read more»

Photo: ZSC Lions forward and 2016 prospect Auston Matthews has produced 14 goals and 25 points in 22 games in 2015-16 playing in Switzerland’s top league (courtesy of Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

The United States will be seeking a return to the medal round at the 2016 World Junior Championship in Finland. The Americans last medalled in 2013 when they captured gold at this event in Ufa, Russia. Read more»